How to Apply for an Argentina Visa for Filipino Tourists or Visitors

If you’ve been following my updates lately, you would know by now that I am soon going on my biggest adventure (yet):a trip to Antarctica! Of course, no single country or government owns Antarctica so visitors do not necessarily need visas to go there — however, if you’re sailing to this ‘White Continent’, most ships would depart from ports such as Argentina, Chile, Falkland Islands, New Zealand and South Africa. For my case, I’ll be sailing on an expedition with Hurtigruten that’s starting from Argentina, and as a Philippine passport-holder, I needed an Argentina visa.

Now… I gotta be frank: getting an Argentina visa has been the most difficult and most expensive tourist visa that I’ve ever applied and paid for (so far). But despite that fact, the process can be fast and hassle-free given the right preparation and know-how; so with my experience and knowledge, I hope this guide will help you get that visa ASAP should Argentina be in your upcoming travel plans!

But first, a disclaimer:

NO ONE can give you a guarantee on your Argentinian visa’s approval: not even a lawyer, a consultant, a travel agent, or an embassy employee. Anyone who says otherwise is most likely going to be a scammer. That being said, what I can offer you here is a comprehensive guide with helpful tips to increase your chances of getting that Argentina tourist visa.

How to Apply for an Argentina Visa

Step 1: Determine the type of Argentina visa that you need to apply for.
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There are, of course, various types of Argentina visas out there that you can apply for: a visa for studying, a visa for business, a visa for being an Argentinian’s fiancé, etc.

For this particular guide though, I will only be discussing the requirements for a tourist visa since it’s an experience that I’ve gone through myself.

If, however, you have a different situation or purpose of visit, it’s best that you contact the Argentina embassy for more information and for the complete requirements via this email: [email protected]

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Step 2: Prepare the required documents for your application.
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Depending on your circumstance, click the symbol ‘+‘ below to view the corresponding requirements for each section. Make sure that you have authentic, original, and complete documents at all times!

(A) Argentina Tourist Visa WITHOUT Any Guarantor/Sponsor

Philippine Passport. Other than providing your passport itself, you need to provide a photocopy of the information pages on A4 paper. Make sure as well that your passport is valid for 6 months beyond your intended travel date, it has your signature, and has at least two (2) blank pages..

A duly accomplished Argentina Visa Application Form.

Print this Argentina Visa Application Form in A4 size.

Download the application form from here (it contains English translations on the 1st two pages because the form is in Spanish).

Erasures are NOT allowed and you should also NOT write outside the boxes.

Put a long dash line “—” in all spaces that are not applicable to you.

Ensure that you have signed it with your signature. On this section, it will ask a date: this must be the date when you submit your requirements to the Embassy. It’s best to leave it blank just in case — otherwise, they will make you redo the form (which is still not a problem, but to save time, it’s preferable to be careful).

There are sections here that ask for your flight dates and hotel in Argentina…

This does NOT mean that you are required to book your airline and hotel beforehand because the embassy does not necessarily require applicants to book it before approval — as a standard, they only need proof of reservation first. That being said, for your flight, it’s best to acquire a reservation which can be done via an airline (directly) or with a travel agent. And in case you’re wondering where to look for the best flight deals, my go-to platforms are Momondo, Kayak, and Skyscanner.

Meanwhile, for hotel bookings, it’s best to do it with Booking.com or Agoda.com. With them, you can reserve a hotel with NO pre-payment and you can even cancel the booking a day before your arrival with NO cancellation charges at all.

4 cm x 4 cm Photo (white background). Photos that are pixelated or of low resolution will NOT be accepted..

Cover Letter with Daily Itinerary Details.This is for explaining why you are applying for an Argentina visa. Along with this letter, you must also provide your day-to-day itinerary.

You must sign the cover letter at the bottom (with your FULL name — including your middle name — in capital letters)..

Flight Reservation.This should be a round trip ticket confirmation or reservation. It’s best to secure a reservation via an airline (directly) or with a travel agent.

In case you’re wondering where to look for the best flight deals, my go-to platforms are Momondo, Kayak, and Skyscanner.

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Ensure that the flight document shows your name and that it is extracted from the airline directly (meaning that for example, if you book via Skyscanner, the e-Ticket you’ll typically receive is from the platform; however, the Embassy wants it to be from the airline directly. So just use the booking reference code and extract the data from the airline’s website)..

Certificate of Employment (COE).Submit the original COE document that is duly notarized, and it should properly indicate your full name, passport number, your position, start date of your work, a brief description of the duties that you do, your monthly salary, and your approved duration of leave.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Your COE must be notarized in the country in which the letterhead of your certificate indicates. So if for example you work for a company that’s located overseas, the Certificate of Employment that they will provide for you must be notarized in that particular country address — and NOT the Philippines.

For self-employed / business persons.

If you’re a freelancer, submit your Certificate of Registration and latest ITR (original, and photocopy in A4 paper).

If you own a business, submit your Business Registration issued by DTI / SEC (including all the Articles of Incorporation and latest General Information Sheet) and the company ITR. (Original, and photocopy in A4 paper).

For unemployed persons.

Given the way the Embassy of Argentina presents its requirements for visa application, it’s best that you acquire a guarantor/sponsor if you’re unemployed. (See section B below for details)..

Bank Certificate and Bank Statements (or Passbook).These must be an original copies from your bank encompassing information for the last three (3) months of the current year.

How much should you have in your bank account? The Argentina Embassy did NOT mention any minimum balance requirement, but after a bit of research, I found out that you must at least have $100 (Php 5,000~) per day of your stay — you can use this as a standard but of course it’s always best if you have more..

Hotel Reservation.

If you’re planning on staying with a friend in Argentina, a notarized letter of invitation must be submitted (more details of this in section (B) below.

For hotel bookings, it’s best to do it with Booking.com or Agoda.com. With them, you can reserve a hotel with NO pre-payment, and you can even cancel the booking a day before your arrival with NO cancellation charges at all.

Once you’re done researching, please remember that the hotel reservation you must present to the Argentina Embassy is a direct confirmation from the hotel — not just the document you got from Booking.com or Agoda. (So for this, you can just email the hotel to ask for a document confirming the booking).» TRAVEL TIP: When booking your accommodation with Agoda, use my promo code ‘AILEEN7’ to get a 7% discount!.

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(B) Argentina Tourist Visa WITH Guarantor/Sponsor

This kind of application is applicable for students, minors, unemployed persons, husband/wife(if one of you will be supporting the other),self-employed persons/freelancers* and others. This also applies to anyone who would have a company/agency to sponsor the trip.

For submitting the necessary requirements, simply submit the requirements listed in section (A), numbers #1 to #5, as well as #8.

When it comes to (#7)Bank Certificate and Bank Statements, you should ask these from your guarantor/sponsor — such could be your mom, dad, brother, sister, friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, relative, company, etc. (Technically, anyone can be your sponsor). In addition, you should submit…

Guarantee Letter.An informal letter written by your sponsor and guarantor certifying that he/she will be funding or sponsoring your travel expenses. This should be signed by him/her, and notarized in the country that he/she resides in...

Photocopy of Guarantor/Sponsor’s Passport.Provide a photocopy of the bio page only; if not, it can be a photocopy of any Visa page or any government-issued ID.

If your guarantor/sponsor is a foreigner or foreign national, please also provide a photocopy of his/her identity card (I-CARD) or AEP (Alien Employment Permit)..

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

If you’re a student or minor…

You should provide:

Affidavit of Support from your parents

DSWD Permit (must be authenticated by the Department of Foreign Affairs)

Birth certificate

Parent’s government-issued ID with picture (this can be their passport, Driver’s License, etc.).

If your guarantor/sponsor is a foreigner or foreign national…

If he has NO account in any of the local banks in the Philippines, he/she can provide a photocopy of his/her bank statement with contact details.

Providing pay slips will help..

If you’re going to stay in the address of an Argentine resident and NOT a hotel…

Your host must write a letter of invitation and send the original copy to the Embassy. This serves the sole purpose of initiating the visa application process and does not guarantee, under any circumstances, the granting of visa abroad. The letter is informal and shall meet the following requirements:

The letter must be written in Spanish.

It must be addressed to the intervening consular authority (e.g. .Al Sr. Cónsul de la Republica en…)

Contain all personal and contact details of the inviting person in Argentina: name and surname, DNI, address,telephone or mobile number, and email address.

Contain all personal and contact details of the foreigner invited to Argentina (in short, YOU): name and surname, nationality, date of birth, type and passport number, telephone or mobile number, email address and any other contact details)

Explain the reason for traveling, relationship of the invited person with the host, duration of stay in the country, the place of stay and estimated dates of arrival and departure.

Express that the signatory will be responsible for the departure of the said foreigner once the permitted length of stay expires.

Once you reach the 8th floor, the entrance of the Embassy has a doorbell button on the left side — just push this and when you hear a beep, it means that you can proceed to open the door. Head directly to the counter and express your purpose. The officer will scrutinize your documents and ensure that everything is complete and in order.

If they deem your documents to be enough, they will give you a deposit slip indicating the visa fee that you will have to pay. As of October 2017, the fee is at $150 (or Php 7,600~). For payment, you just need to head to the BPI branch in Leviste street which is just a few blocks away from the Embassy — afterwards, you need to go back to the Embassy to provide the proof of payment/deposit.

NOTE: Be reminded that this visa fee payment is non-refundable and it does NOT guarantee the approval of your Argentina visa.

The officer will then advise you that they will call or email you within 10 days about the schedule of your interview.

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Step 4: Attend your interview appointment.
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They told me to wait for 10 days for a notification as to when I’ll be scheduled for an interview — however, they e-mailed me 2 days after and scheduled my interview the next day.

Don’t forget to bring your passport for the interview (and any other documents that can help support your application). After submitting your passport at the counter, you will have to wait a bit until your name is called… I was scheduled for a 10AM interview but they only started the interviews at around 11AM, so it’s best that you bring something to entertain yourself with (you’re asked not to use your cellphone inside so maybe bring a book or a Kindle).

Now for the actual interview itself, mine only took about a minute, and I think it’s mostly because I wasn’t really staying in Argentina as much given that the main purpose of my trip was for Antarctica. The interviewer was the Ambassador himself and he was quite friendly — we spent a bit of time talking about Antarctica, as well Argentina itself!

Once we were done talking, the Ambassador said that I got the visa, and then the officer assisting him told me to get a claim stub at the counter which will show the date as to when I can claim my passport with visa.

If you’re curious about the possible interview questions that they will ask you, naturally, it will vary depending on your situation and background. Nevertheless, I can assure you that there won’t be any tricky questions! This is NOT a quiz but just a simple background check.

Besides, I even had the chance to hear some of the other interviews (since the walls were thin haha) so to give you an idea, it will typically cover the following aspects:

– Your background: proof of strong ties with the Philippines, your job, your financial capacity, etc.
– Details & purpose of your trip: where are you going to, why you’re going, how long, where you’re staying, if you have relatives/family in Argentina, if you prepared your itinerary, etc.
– Your relationship with your sponsor: only if you’re applying with a guarantor/sponsor
– Your travel history
– Etc.

Again: there really are no difficult questions since they only want to know more about you and your trip. So just be honest and concise.

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Step 5: Claim your Argentina visa.
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My claim stub indicated that my passport with Argentina visa will be ready after 1 working day, so I just headed back to the Embassy on the date mentioned. You bet that I was relieved when I finally saw the visa with my very own eyes!

When your Argentina visa is not granted, I’m NOT sure if the Embassy will give you reasons for the denial, nor do I know if they will let you appeal (since it’s an experience I haven’t [thankfully] gone through).

That being said, I have a feeling that since the Embassy is so meticulous with the requirements, their acceptance of your application at Step #3 above might most likely mean that you already have a strong chance of getting your visa approved (but don’t take my word for it — all in all, I wish you the best of luck!)

Booking Essentials

F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Questions)

◘◘When is the earliest time that I can apply for an Argentina visa?
You can apply as early as three (3) months or 90 days before your planned trip date departure. Anyhow, the Embassy advises that you must apply at least 30 days before your intended date of departure from the Philippines.

◘◘How long is the duration of a tourist Argentina visa?
All tourist visa holders are permitted to stay in Argentina for a maximum period of 3 months or 90 days. If there’s a need to stay longer than 90 days, an extension can be requested from the National Immigration Office prior to expiration of the period originally granted.

◘◘How much money should I show in my bank account?
The Argentina Embassy did NOT mention any minimum balance requirement, but after a bit of research, I found out that you must at least have $100 (Php 5,000~) per day of your stay — you can use this as a standard but of course it’s always best if you have more.

◘◘How long does the Argentina visa process take?
The tourist visa application has a turn-around time of about ten (10) working days, however due to the volume of applicants as well as due to your circumstance, it could be longer or shorter than the aforementioned. For my case, mine took about only 5 days in total to process.

◘◘How can I follow up on my application?If you haven’t heard back from the Embassy in 10 days, feel free to call or email them to follow up..

Overall

Though the Embassy officers might give you a hard time on your Argentina visa application, always remember that they just mean well. In fact, with their help and this guide’s help, you’ll surely increase your chances of getting that coveted approval!

All in all, I hope that the tips and info that I’ve shared here will help guide you.

Good luck!

How about you?

Do you have any other info or tips to add?

If you’ve already applied for an Argentina visa before, how was your experience?

I can totally relate with your experience. I too have rob get a visa for almost any country I visit. So I always have to plan ahead of my trip. It can be a little difficult and frustrating getting a visa sometimes. I love how your laid out the steps and what to expect when applying for a visa to travel to Antarctica. I live in Alaska and plan on visiting the North Pole shortly. Can’t wait!

A trip to Antarctica!! AH I am beyond jealous. That is amazing and I can't wait to read about it. Luckily I don't need a Visa to go into Argentina. I am definitely going to check out Hurtigruten. I've read about them before and I'd love to learn more about the pricing.

Such a wonderful guide for those travelers looking to travel to Argentina. Who knew the process would be so difficult? Were you nervous in the interview? Even when it's easy questions, I always seem to choke. Also, I'm so glad you posted the minimum amounts to have in your bank account, that's something I would never have thought of since we always use our credit card when we travel. x

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